Fear of Man or Fear of God?
Num 22 Recently, we have seen the revolution of the Spirit of God upon several who have repented of their sins. Some are fearing God, and others are openly criticizing it as fake. What is now is the same as in the time of the wandering Israelites.
The king of Moab, Balak, son of Zippor, also saw the power of God, and he too was fearful—but not the fear that leads to repentance. Just like the Pharisees in the NT, he was fearful of losing his power and prestige. [Jn 11:50 ] Rather than bow the knee to Jehovah, he bows the knee to a false prophet, Balaam, son of Zippor, a soothsayer. Over and over through the OT and the NT, God refers to him as one who, for greed, disobeyed God. [2Peter 2:16]
Was he a believer in Yahweh? Scholars differ on that. What we do learn is that God used him to pronounce provision and protection for His people and the demise of the Moabites, an ungodly unrepentant people.
The question before us is this: How do we respond when we see the hand of God at work? Do we, in reverence, fear Him, or do we fear the loss of our perceived recognition of earthly power?
Responses